Field
The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to methods and apparatuses for integrating Bluetooth devices into neighbor aware networks.
Background
In wireless communications, a popular peer-to-peer exchange protocol is Bluetooth. However, Bluetooth communications can be limited to particularly short distances and, in some circumstances, barriers such as walls can further limit the range and quality of the communications. By contrast, users of certain other wireless communication protocols, such as WiFi, enjoy both increased ranges of communication as well as reduced interference from such barriers. Where wireless communication networks (e.g., WiFi networks) do not include an associated, centralized access point (AP) for traffic scheduling, nearby compatible devices may dynamically communicate with one another in an ad hoc fashion. Such networks may be called neighbor aware networks (NAN). However, WiFi devices and Bluetooth devices do not communicate utilizing the same protocols, so Bluetooth-only-compatible devices may be limited in the above-described manner. In this context, there remains a need for methods and apparatuses for integrating Bluetooth devices into NANs.